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Thursday, 13 February 2014

Dormitory in Gunung Mulu National Park

When we tried booking a room at Gunung Mulu National Park headquarters via email in December 2013, we were told that all the rooms were occupied, even the dormitory (dorm).

But when I called up the office to ask, there were 2 beds available in the dormitory. We grabbed it of course. Rate was RM41 per bed per night, inclusive of a set breakfast.

This is the very spacious dorm. It's a mix dorm, mind you. So you'll probably see some guys sleeping in their underwear ;-)

Staying in dorms is a surefire way of meeting people to exchange travel stories and tips. Dorm living may not be everyone's cup of tea as some people prefer privacy, but I sure like it!

When we checked-in at the park office, we had to pay a refundable deposit of RM50 each for a pillow cover, bed sheet, blanket and bathing towel.

The pillow cover, bed sheet, blanket and bathing towel all came nicely packed.

We had to make our own beds.

Tough luck if you have maids to make your beds at home. Here in Gunung Mulu National Park you have to do these things yourself.

I was so proud of our beds ;-) And mind you ... these beds were damn comfy.

This is the bathroom in the dorm:

There were 2 cubicles for bathing and 2 more with WC.

This is the cubicle for bathing:

Warm water is available 24 hours a day, which is a huge relief as the weather can get cold towards the evening and early morning.

At the back of the dorm there's a place to hang and dry your clothes:

It was raining almost everyday and our clothes were wet most of the days. So a drying area is always good to have.

Cupboards are available inside the dorm for you to store your valuables:

Another thing which I like about this dorm is the sink and facilities where you could boil water to make a cup of coffee or instant noodles:

The park sells mineral water at exorbitant prices: RM5 (big bottle) and RM2.50 (small bottle). But I don't blame them since everything has to be flown into the park from the city. So to cut cost, we boiled our own water and refilled our bottles daily.

I love the spaciousness of the dorm.

The two brown doors facing the camera leads to the bathroom (left door) and the drying area (right door).

Breakfast is included in the room price and served in the cafe beside the park office.

Nasi lemak is one of the items in the set breakfast menu, and a substantial meal to begin a day of walking and trekking into the caves and forest. However the sambal portion is small and when I asked for more the waitress said I need to pay additional RM2.00. I was like ... WTF ... and vowed to blog about it so that travellers like you would know about it.